COLUMN: Spending time with Derbyshire wildlife is vital for our physical and mental health

New Derbyshire Times columnist Stewart Abbott is an expert on the county’s wildlife. He will be providing updates on things to look out for over the changing year, places to visit and ‘birds of the month’ to spot.
Reed BuntingReed Bunting
Reed Bunting

One thing has become clear during the Covid-19 pandemic, spending time with wildlife and in green spaces is vital for both our physical and mental health.

At a time when we are in a biodiversity crisis, to see more people engaging with nature is wonderful and is a huge plus as people tend to fight for what they care about.

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My name is Stewart Abbott and I have been watching, photographing, filming and helping wildlife for most of my life.

Reed WarblerReed Warbler
Reed Warbler

I volunteer with Derbyshire Wildlife Trust helping on their reserves and carrying out survey work.

This is probably the most fulfilling part of my life as you know you are directly helping with habitat maintenance and protection. I also work as a ringer. This involves fitting birds with small metal rings to help track migration movements and keep an eye on population levels.

Over the last three years my mental health has taken a battering from ill health and then the pandemic.

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Without wildlife I am not sure I could have coped but being outdoors and watching birds has helped me switch off and aided my recovery.

KingfisherKingfisher
Kingfisher

A place I have spent many hours is The Avenue Washlands nature reserve and Country Park just outside Chesterfield. This is a Derbyshire Wildlife Trust reserve that has been created from the ashes of the old Avenue coking plant on Derby Road. Once given the title of the worst polluted site in Europe it is now a haven for wildlife and popular with nature lovers and walkers.

The nature reserve was opened in 2007 and is a great place to visit for bird watching. It is alive with bird song at the moment and you can see and hear birds such as the Yellowhammer, Reed Bunting, Skylark & an abundance of warblers including Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler and Whitethroat. I would recommend you visit before 11:30am or after 4pm as this is when the birds are most active.

Visit the South side of the country park at dusk and you could see one of the stars of The Avenue, a Barn Owl. It is crepuscular, which means it likes to hunt in partial darkness, so dawn or dusk is best. If you stop to chat to any regulars, they will always talk about the excitement of seeing this ghost of the grasslands.

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You can also walk along a section of the River Rother that runs through the reserve on the north side.

The AvenueThe Avenue
The Avenue

Here you could see the electric blue flash of the Kingfisher or see Britain’s fastest declining bird, the Willow Tit, as it feeds amongst a flock of Long-tailed Tit and Treecreeper.

With over 120 bird species recorded and a range of habitat including woodland, reed beds, grassland, flower meadows and open water The Avenue is a gem in the heart of Derbyshire for any wildlife watcher, whether a beginner or someone with more experience.

If you see me walking around, make sure to say hello.

STAR OF THE MONTH

Barn owlBarn owl
Barn owl

Yellowhammer

(Emberiza citronella)

Yellowhammers can be found across much of Derbyshire and throughout the year where open fields and farmland is dominant. Around the size of a Chaffinch they are usually found in hedgerows or singing from small shrubs, trees or even fence posts.

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Keep an eye out for a bright yellow bird with brown wings and tail and listen for what the books describe as ‘a little bit of bread but no cheese’ call. I am not sure I agree with this but phonetically it is not that far off.

There are as many as 700,000 breeding pairs in the UK and they lay 3-4 eggs in each clutch. Usually, they have 2 broods per year, but if the weather is good then a third brood is possible.

With the change in farming practices unfortunately numbers are falling as Yellowhammers rely on seed throughout the winter. This means it has now been placed on the RSPB’s Red list and is a species of concern. The oldest known Yellowhammer was almost 12 years old but more typically they live for three years.

YellowhammerYellowhammer
Yellowhammer

They are well in to breeding season at this time of year so juveniles can also be seen.

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These look more like females with a duller plumage to aid camouflage and keep them safe from predators.

The Yellowhammer is one of those birds that always makes me smile and reminds me of my early years bird watching with my brother around our home near Chesterfield. I never get tired of hearing its call and seeing this colourful addition to our countryside.